Roxas had been woken harshly by a shove and a scathing lecture. He'd never seen such a reaction from his father before nor had he seen so much fury in his eyes. He had huffed in annoyance, earning a stricter curfew and more impositions. More shifts and a stricter training regimen, to keep him busy and so that Cloud knew where he was at all times. He had been determined that Roxas would never go missing again, as he was the future of their cause. Roxas had known that it was his own damned fault but he couldn't stop. His behavior should have scared him but he couldn't stay away from Axel.
The red-head had been true to his word. Roxas had known. He hadn't known how but he had known where to go, just like the time before. Axel was magnetic and those eyes were always drawing him in, burning him alive from the inside, out. When they were apart, it was unbearable for the young slayer. Roxas' heart was at the edge, ready to implode, and then he'd feel it. He'd feel those eyes, watching him and drawing him in and he'd go, obediently.
He felt irresponsible, reckless, but he wouldn't have been able to stop, even if he had wanted to, even though he was compromising his family's position. He went to Axel because he wanted to. He craved Axel, even though the Vampire didn't force him.
Roxas followed his instincts, weaving through the twists and turns of the city at midnight, hidden by nightfall, deep into dangerous territory. Stupidly, foolishly, and perhaps with a sense of false security- he knew that he was safe. For some reason, Axel had made him safe. For now, anyway.
It had been a year and still, his breath always caught when he saw the creature. Green eyes always stared into him and a smile curved at his lips, beckoning. It never failed to remind Roxas of their first meeting. Tonight, however, the red-head surprised Roxas. Green eyes lidded heavily, and he smoothed his fingers through blond hair.
"Happy Birthday," he purred. Roxas' felt his face flush, his heart skipping a beat or two. Axel listened to his skittering pulse, smiling at the boy. Finally, it was time. Tomorrow, Roxas would make his advancement and tomorrow, he would make himself known. He had already had a deep enough hold on Roxas for some time now. It was the opportune moment.
"Thank you," the blond murmured in response. That beautiful creature grinned, brushing his nose against Roxas', listening to the erratic beating of his heart before taking his mouth savagely. Roxas moaned, their tongues tangling together, hot and fast, probing and brushing. Roxas grasped Axel's ribs, writing and groaning pleasurably. Axel didn't stop until the boy was gasping. The blond laughed breathlessly. "Let me catch my breath," he panted. Axel waited, watching the boy, humming in pleasure when the blond, without prompting, raised himself on his toes, his lips slightly parted as they met his once again.
There was a warmth in those blue oceans, something special, just for Axel. The red-head hadn't failed to notice it or to stop himself from wanting it. Even without his influence, it had been there or some time now. No one had ever looked at him so intently before. Still, eveything had to proceed according to his plans.
"I should take you back, you're going to have a busy day tomorrow," he hummed softly. Roxas pouted, earning another hungry kiss. He stared into those cerulean depths for a long moment, his thumb playing with the boy's lower lip absentmindedly. "Why the pouting?" He teased, but his next words were more serious than Roxas could dare to imagine, "Would you rather stay with me forever?" he breathed, finally.
Roxas' face reddened, his eyes widening impossibly. "I…" Axel's own eyes widened marginally. He sensed Roxas' longing for just that, he could see it in his eyes. He took the boy's face in his hands, kissing him again and again, taking his wrists and tugging him in the direction of where he needed to be tonight. Home.
He had to wait, he had to be patient. In just a few hours, he would see just how deeply he was hooked in Roxas' heart.
~o~
Roxas woke early, smiling to himself and preparing for the day. It was officially his eighteenth birthday, which was cause for the entire day of celebrations that would follow.
His family was there, slayers from all of the districts were there. Everyone bore witness as Roxas swore to uphold the fight for humanity, to take his father's place one day. Everything was perfect. That is until… His father approached the group with a grim expression, calling for their attention.
"There's been a report of suspicious activity," Cloud informed them, "there has been a disturbance with our power grid and the generators won't sustain us for long. Prepare yourselves for the worst. It might be nothing or we might be facing a strike today. Communication has been lost on that front." Roxas' brows furrowed.
"Why would they attack us now?" he questioned. Lea had been waiting to strike for a full year. He could have wiped them out at any time. It didn't make sense that he would attack now.
"I'm not sure, but it could be the occasion," his father replied, looking bothered. Roxas and his sister nodded in acknowledgement, gathering the other slayers that had attended into a party. Together, they set out for the grid.
~o~
Roxas hadn't known what to expect as they'd travelled the tunnels that wound beneath the city, the safest route at night, to their destination. He hadn't personally seen much action since he had met Axel, so he was more than surprised that his father had instructed them to be well equipped. Of course, what he didn't know, was that his father could sense Reno. Roxas himself was caught off guard when he felt Axel's burning presence, just before he smelt smoke and saw amber flames upon their exit into the city.
"Oh my God," the man next to him murmured, Roxas himself paled. Here was no salvaging their power supply or their food stores, for that matter. Everything was burning. The watchmen were dead. Upon examination, distinct puncture marks on their necks determined the cause.
"Vampires," Cloud sneered.
A slow clap disturbed the deadly silence and the group readied themselves. The hair on the back of Roxas' neck stood on end when his eyes locked on a familiar face when something approached them, through the flames. Reno. Behind him, Roxas could see at least a dozen eyes glowing through the smoke. His breath caught and his senses screamed at him. His gaze automatically darted to the top of another building and he watched in awe and in terror at the figure summoning flames and releasing that fury onto the roof, burning everything. It was Axel.
He watched, entranced, and the red-head leapt down, running straight at them, flames still crackling and dancing around him. He was beautiful. Reno and his followers slowly circled the group, and Roxas felt a shudder wrack his whole body when his father warned, "It's Lea!"
Someone in their group gasped in horror, "We have to kill him!" The red-head stopped to stand beside his brother with a vicious smile on his lips. He had heard the utterance. Roxas could only stare at the beautiful red-head, completely frozen, even as he summoned two spoked wheels, one in each hand, twriling them and then throwing them into the speaker, horrified when the Vampire snapped his fingers and he burst into flame with a horrifying scream.
Then, they attacked, Vampires going after slayers, slayers going after Vampires and Lea went straight after Roxas.
~o~
TBC
